Mr Alex to be remembered by all
He always dedicated his time to those in need, not only to the Hellenic community but to those in other communities too.
Remembered by his sons as an honourable, charitable and hardworking patriarch, Alexander Baladakis will be forever honoured by those whose lives he had an impact on.
The Ekurhuleni businessman died at the age of 78 on January 11 from Covid-19-related complications.
He was laid to rest on January 18.
Born in Egypt in 1942, Mr Alex, as he was affectionately known to those around him, grew up near the Suez Canal (Port Tawfiq).
Mr Alex’s sons, John and Peter, explained their grandfather left the island of Crete and moved to Egypt at a young age, where he studied under his uncle to become a tailor.
“The decision to emigrate to Egypt was purely economic for our grandfather because Egypt was seen as the Dubai of the time.”
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However, as industrialisation occurred and technology advanced, life in Egypt changed. There was less and less need for skilled tailors as factories and production lines came into existence.
As one of six children in a household with very little income, Mr Alex’s upbringing was difficult. “When our father was old enough, he would work at the docks and with the ship captain’s orders.
“He would take the order from the captain as the ship entered the canal, run back to the warehouse to prepare the order and return to the captain with the items.
“He would do all of this before the ship passed through the Suez Canal.”
John said his father remembered this part of his life so vividly because of how much pain he would be in daily from carrying the loads to the ship captains.
As life continued for Mr Alex, the church assisted him to get an education. Later they assisted him in obtaining a structural engineering degree in Cairo.
As he got older, Mr Alex tutored learners and students in mathematics to earn extra money.
“That’s how he met our mother. She needed help with her mathematics, he tutored her and things went from there,” said Peter. The couple married in 1965.
“It must have been love because mom and dad both came from different social groups and back then that was a very big thing,” said Peter.
Peter and John strongly believe their father’s upbringing played a pivotal role in forming the businessman he became later in life.
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“Our father enjoyed being on the ground and working hands-on with those around him.”
John Philippou, a close associate and friend of Mr Alex, said the staff and those around Mr Alex respected him for his hands-on attitude and for never being afraid of getting his hands dirty and leading from the front.
Mr Alex’s decision to move to SA was prompted by the Suez Crisis in 1956 when then-Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal.
Before starting his own business, Mr Alex worked across SA as a structural engineer specialising in water retention structures.
He started his own business in 1994 in Kempton Park, going into business with John and then later Peter and expanded across the Ekurhuleni region in towns such as Edenvale, Benoni and Boksburg.
“We have always been a family-run entrepreneur business and it made sense to keep everything near each other so it could be easily managed,” said John.
Mr Alex was a humble person, he never forgot where he came from. The family recently learnt that Mr Alex had refurbished and renovated the church and school which he had attended as a child in Port Tawfiq which had become dilapidated over the years.
“I knew about the renovations of the church and the school, but my dad wanted it to be kept quiet. He didn’t want to draw any attention to it,” said John.
“He always dedicated his time to those in need, not only to the Hellenic community but to those in other communities too.”
John and Peter said there are many memories of their father but the ones that stand out the most are the ones of their dad with his grandchildren.
“I remember one occasion where my wife and I were in the garden and my father arrived,” said John. “Once he had driven his car onto the property, he called out and asked if his grandson was awake yet.
“My son was still sleeping at the time and I told him this and without another word to me, he closed his car window and left my property.”
His grandchildren were his everything. All he wanted was to play with them,” said John.
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